Former News of the World executives misled parliament over phone hacking

Two former senior executives at News Corp’s U.K. division have been found in contempt of parliament for evidence they gave to an inquiry about phone hacking at the News of the World.

Colin Myler, the former News of the World editor, and Tom Crone, a former senior lawyer, gave false evidence to the House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport Committee about their knowledge of evidence that journalists on the defunct tabloid had illegally accessed people’s voicemails in search of stories, a committee of MPs said on Wednesday.

The Commons’ Committee of Privileges found that both executives were in contempt of the House of Commons. They will be formally be admonished by parliament.

Les Hinton, the former chief executive of News Corp’s British business, who was one of Rupert Murdoch’s longest-serving executives before resigning because of the phone hacking scandal, was cleared of misleading the CMS committee, according to the privileges committee’s report.

There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Hinton had known that phone hacking went beyond a couple of News of the World employees, as he claimed, the committee said.

In a blog post, Hinton said the finding was “too little and too late,” coming four years after he was accused of giving false evidence by the Culture committee.

In 2012, he was “vilified by MPs” on the Culture committee after they “followed none of the usual rules of law and fair process,” Hinton said. “It carried out an amateur investigation, missed vital evidence, and some members displayed no pretence at impartiality…”

Hinton added: “Parliament has a back-to-front idea of justice and fairness when it claims these standards after allowing the sham trial and free-for-all character assassination I experienced in 2012.”

The culture committee held a series of hearings investigating phone hacking after the Guardian revealed in July 2011 that journalists on the News of the World had listened to the voicemails of a murdered teenager. The revelation plunged Murdoch’s media business into turmoil, resulted in the closure of the News of the World, and triggered a wide-ranging inquiry into the culture and ethics of the British press.

In one hearing, Murdoch appeared visibly shaken by the hacking fallout and declared it “the most humble day of my life.”

As he gave evidence, the media tycoon was attacked by a protester who tried to thrust a plate of shaving foam in Murdoch’s face but was intercepted by Murdoch’s then-wife, Wendi Deng.

In one report in 2012, the culture committee said it had been misled by Myler, Crone and Hinton, and urged parliament to investigate whether a contempt had been committed.

This post has been updated with a comment from Les Hinton.

Authors:

Related stories on these topics:

Maria Valentina Umer

The British tabloid press has been Britain´s cancer for decades! And whoever, among British politicians, pandered to them is part of this system of disinformation used for political profiling and personal careerism.
I have always read the British serious/professional press with the utmost pleasure: The Financial Times above all. These sheets which Murdoch publishes should be considered propaganda of the worst kind. Very vicious! And under the banner of democracy for laughing out loud!
The Englanders have really sold out to money-men in the press. Not a mark of democracy!

Posted on 9/14/16 | 1:25 PM CEST

Maria Valentina Umer

And I would like to see that the British Parliament condemns this tabloid press and its boss Murdoch for the alleged hacking of teenagers and of whoever has suited Murdoch to malipulate public opinion among the proletarian masses.
If the British government still has any credibility, it should bring Murdoch to Justice.

Posted on 9/14/16 | 1:40 PM CEST

Deb

😀 I just can’t be bothered Maria. You carry on. Bravo for some top quality Brit bashing at every single opportunity, and sometimes even when no opportunity exists!

Easily this month’s top xenophobic bigot so far. Come on FireEuropeen you have been slacking.